Author
Topic: UK Visiting the east Coast (Read 776 times)

Iím from the UK and I came across this forum, when trying to find some good/friendly advice on RVíing.I'm planning a trip with one friend (possibly two), for two weeks in September / October this year. We are planning to rent an RV to reduce cost and also have a hellaí good time.

Our route: Atlanta > Nashville > New Orleans > Miami

A few questions:

What kind of RV would make sense for 2-3 people?

Should we book in advance an RV sites?

We plan to have some late nights drinking; will this be a problem when staying in an RV camp?

We intend to both drive and for at most 4 hours, so we would look to stop in-between locations, any good suggestions for interim stop points?

What insurance would be needed and what is the best way of getting a quote?

Hello boyo, and welcome to The RV Forum. Which part of the UK do you live?

Quote

What kind of RV would make sense for 2-3 people?

The most popular rental among folks from the UK & Europe is a class C motorhome. Some rental companies may offer a Class A (bus-like) - more room, but likely bigger, which means you may be limited in where you can stop for sightseeing and the like. Whichever you opt for, check out the sleeping arrangements, although most will accommodate 3 people.

Quote

Should we book in advance an RV sites?

We rarely book in advance, unless it's a public holiday (like a bank holiday). We do, however, call ahead from the road (an hour or so from our intended destination) to see if the campground has space. If not, we'll call another one nearby. If you have a fixed schedule, there's nowt wrong with reserving in advance.

Quote

We plan to have some late nights drinking; will this be a problem when staying in an RV camp?

Many/most campgrounds have "quiet hours" e.g. 10:00pm until 7:00am. Noisy, inebriated campers will likely result in a neighborly phone call to, and a visit from security. Take your late night drinking inside the RV, keep the noise down, and have some respect for folks who like/need to sleep.

Quote

What insurance would be needed and what is the best way of getting a quote?

Insurance will likely be offered by the RV rental company. You should be able to verify that via their web site &/or via email. Be sure there are no age restrictions; Some insurance companies have minimum &/or maximum age limits, both of which have affected our family and friends from the UK who needed to rent or borrow a car.

Well typical of all people who visit from Europe you are underestimating the size of our county. This is not like Europe, the USA is huge. You are planning on way too much driving which will reduce your time to actually vacation. I would suggest forgetting New Orleans and just doing Nashville>Atlanta>Miami or forget Nashville and just do New Orleans>Atlanta>Miami. Go to Google maps and plan out your trip to see what I am talking about. Not all of the roads between these cities are Interstates meaning the driving is slow.

Quote

What kind of RV would make sense for 2-3 people?

26 to 32 foot class C.

Quote

Should we book in advance an RV sites?

I never do because I don't like being locked down. There are zillions of RV parks and campgrounds in this country and it usually not a problem finding an opening. The exception might be Miami in the fall.

Quote

We plan to have some late nights drinking; will this be a problem when staying in an RV camp?

Absolutely. People who drink like to sit outside and be noisy. If you do drink just stay inside and keep quiet. Neighbors are right next to you and most RVers go to bed early.

Quote

We intend to both drive and for at most 4 hours, so we would look to stop in-between locations, any good suggestions for interim stop points?

I would need your final route in order to make suggestions.

Quote

What insurance would be needed and what is the best way of getting a quote?

Well, I agree with Seilerbird. That would be a pretty big loop. I would recommend leaving Miami alone, and making a loop something like Atlanta - Nashville - Memphis - New Orleans

A lot depends on your arrival and departure plans, of course, and what it is you really want to see while here.

If Atlanta is your PoE, that kind of loop is do-able in two weeks. Throwing Miami into the mix would add a few days to the trip. Miami - Atlanta, Possible to do in 1 day, but that would be a VERY long day each direction. That would be equivalent distance to driving Plymouth to Aberdeen in a day. If Miami is you PoE, then, as suggested, either Skip New Orleans or Nashville. Two weeks, you would spend the whole visit just driving.

what is it you really want to accomplish?

We can be more help with that kind of info.

Logged

2000 Itasca Sundancer 430V2007 Saturn Vue

"The trouble with people isn't that they don't know, but that they know so much that ain't so."

Well, I agree with Seilerbird. That would be a pretty big loop. I would recommend leaving Miami alone, and making a loop something like Atlanta - Nashville - Memphis - New Orleans

A lot depends on your arrival and departure plans, of course, and what it is you really want to see while here.

If Atlanta is your PoE, that kind of loop is do-able in two weeks. Throwing Miami into the mix would add a few days to the trip. Miami - Atlanta, Possible to do in 1 day, but that would be a VERY long day each direction. That would be equivalent distance to driving Plymouth to Aberdeen in a day. If Miami is you PoE, then, as suggested, either Skip New Orleans or Nashville. Two weeks, you would spend the whole visit just driving.

what is it you really want to accomplish?

We can be more help with that kind of info.

That's what I was thinking but I am too lazy to type it all out. Thanks Lars.

This is probably a Canadian perspective but that route is not too much driving especially if you go with a Class C. Given your un-Canadian 4 hour per day limit: ATL-Nash = 1 day, NO = 2 days (stop in Alabama), Miami = 3 days (Destin, Orlando), back to ATL = 2 days (Daytona or Jacksonville). That gives you 6 stopover days to spread around.

I would only book your main stops ahead of time and even then I think you may be off-peak so that may not be required. Nowadays when we travel through the US, we have our mobile plan extended to the US ($5 / day) so we have LTE based internet access and my wife uses her iPad to look for places when we have an idea where the day will end.

I recommend the following:1. Get out of Atlanta right away2. Stop over near Chattanooga unless you are not tired yet3. Nashville, party like country stars!4. Memphis, party like blues stars, go to BB Kings, Graceland5. New Orleans, party like rock stars in the streets!6. One of the following before going back to Atlanta - Pensacola - Fort Walton Beach, Destin - Panama City

This is probably a Canadian perspective but that route is not too much driving especially if you go with a Class C. Given your un-Canadian 4 hour per day limit: ATL-Nash = 1 day, NO = 2 days (stop in Alabama), Miami = 3 days (Destin, Orlando), back to ATL = 2 days (Daytona or Jacksonville). That gives you 6 stopover days to spread around.

I would only book your main stops ahead of time and even then I think you may be off-peak so that may not be required. Nowadays when we travel through the US, we have our mobile plan extended to the US ($5 / day) so we have LTE based internet access and my wife uses her iPad to look for places when we have an idea where the day will end.

Interesting way to look at it. Though, I got that they planned 4 hours max per driver. My earlier post was off the top of my pointy little head. just for kicks, I went back and played a bit with google maps, and came up with the following. One could do a loop from Atlanta to Miami with say, Savannah, Daytona Beach, to Miami, then up to Tampa, Panama City, New Orleans, up to Memphis, east to Nashville, and back to Atlanta in about 40 hours of driving (assuming highway speeds, of course.) Add meal and fuel stops, make that 48 hours travel time to make such a loop. so can be done with relative ease, and if you're winging it, then should be fine, with that kind of loop. You can stop as long as you want and take in the sites, and then move on. If you run out of time, you're never outside a day's drive back to Atlanta to catch a ride home. (This all assumes Atlanta as point of Entry/Exit, of course.)

Logged

2000 Itasca Sundancer 430V2007 Saturn Vue

"The trouble with people isn't that they don't know, but that they know so much that ain't so."

I recommend the following:1. Get out of Atlanta right away2. Stop over near Chattanooga unless you are not tired yet3. Nashville, party like country stars!4. Memphis, party like blues stars, go to BB Kings, Graceland5. New Orleans, party like rock stars in the streets!6. One of the following before going back to Atlanta - Pensacola - Fort Walton Beach, Destin - Panama City

We are based in London/Essex, we are looking to do some site seeing and meet some great people.

I thought I would answer a few points to clarify so items that have been made:

We are not planning to complete a loop, in fact we are intending to fly into Atlanta and fly out of Miami, this gives us around 25 h (1,722 miles) of driving to complete within the two week trip, that feels pretty achievable, but any feedback on that would be great.

We rarely book in advance, unless it's a public holiday (like a bank holiday). We do, however, call ahead from the road (an hour or so from our intended destination) to see if the campground has space. If not, we'll call another one nearby. If you have a fixed schedule, there's nowt wrong with reserving in advance.

Great thank you, that should work very well, we will probably plan an arrival day for the big places and then wing it in between. I will have a look at bank holidays and see in they might cause some problems.

Haven't been to New Orleans in a long time, but there's the French Quarter RV Park. I don't know how much it recovered after Katrina, but the French Quarter used to light up late in the evening, bars would stay open late and there were musicians everywhere.

Not sure how the Atlanta - Miami plan is going to work out. Car rental places let you pick up and drop off at different sites. But RV rentals usually have to be returned to where you got it from. Check that part out with the rental companies before you get too far into your trip planning.

Miami is a major metropolitan area, so "camping" in Miami will be like camping in London. All the advantages and risks of a major city, things to do and see but also congestion and crime to contend with. In fact all of the southeast Florida coast from Palm Beach to Miami is one large metro area, but there are a few RV parks, private as well as local government provided. If you go there at all, I would plan more than two nights. Two nights means basically one day of sightseeing, and that's not much.

I personally think that is a lot of territory to cover in two weeks (3x the size of the UK), but understand that you are coming a long way to see the SE USA and need to pack in as much was possible. However, visitors from the UK tend to underestimate the travel time, even though the intestate highways make it easier. Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans all can soak up a lot of time to enjoy the sights, especially if you enjoy clubs, music and restaurants. Also in that general area are Branson, Missouri and Pigeon Forge Tennessee, great places to spend a few days being entertained with premier shows and talent in theaters and clubs.

If Florida's beaches are what attracts you, Tampa, Daytona, Jacksonville (St Augustine Beach area) and Pensacola/Panama Beach all have a lot to offer without the drawbacks of Miami. And you can probably fly home from Tampa or Orlando as well. That shortens your trip mileage a fair amount while giving more time to enjoy what you came for.